To my friend who posted on February 19: Your dough is dry because kneading for 16-20 minutes is WAY too long. Babka is delicate, not at all like regular bread dough and should not be kneaded but for maybe 30 seconds to combine the softened butter as the last step (far less than even this recipe recommends).

What is special about babka?

Babka very well might just be the king of all Jewish desserts. The sweet braided bread – usually swirled with chocolate or cinnamon – is addictively delicious, perfect either hot or room temperature, and works just as well as a sweet breakfast dish and a luxurious dessert .

How do you know when babka is done?

To be extra sure that your babka loaf has finished baking, you can use an instant-read thermometer to check if the internal temperature has reached 190°F . This method is also great if you don't have a long enough toothpick to get to the middle of the loaf. Don't skip the sugar syrup at the end.

Why do Jews eat babka?

One theory says Babka is indigenous to the Ukraine, part of an ancient fertility symbol. The story of chocolate and the Jewish community is a bit different in the Mediterranean. There, Jews and chocolate went together like bagels and cream cheese. Don't miss what matters.

How do you get more layers in babka?

Roll it up: starting with the rectangle closest to you, roll it up from the bottom along the longer edge, working evenly side to side and pulling back with your fingertips to make the roulade as tight as possible. Repeat for the second rectangle. The tighter the roulade, the more layers of chocolate you'll have .

What does babka mean in Yiddish?

borrowed from Yiddish & Polish; Yiddish babke (in sense a), borrowed from Polish babka (in sense b), literally, " old woman, grandmother ," diminutive of baba "grandmother, midwife, old woman"

Should babka be refrigerated?

Store your babka at room temperature in the provided packaging using the reseal tab on the back if opened; do not refrigerate . Our babkas are baked daily and, if you can resist eating them, will stay delicious for up to 5 days after purchase.

Is babka served warm or cold?

Slice the babka and serve it at room temperature ; or rewarm individual slices briefly in a toaster, if desired.

What nationality is babka bread?

A babka is a sweet braided bread which originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine . It is popular in Israel (often referred to as simply a yeast cake: עוגת שמרים) and in the Jewish diaspora.

How do you make babka less dry?

Like I say in the video, try not to use any flour if you can . Too much flour can create a very DRY yeast bread.

Why has my babka sunk in the middle?

Do NOT underbake your loaves. I recommend checking them with a thermometer to make sure they're done. If you pull them out too early, the babka will sink in the middle and be doughy (it's happened to me before and it's a total bummer).

Should I keep babka in the fridge?

Store your babka at room temperature in the provided packaging using the reseal tab on the back if opened; do not refrigerate . Our babkas are baked daily and, if you can resist eating them, will stay delicious for up to 5 days after purchase.

Should babka be served warm?

Slice the babka and serve it at room temperature ; or rewarm individual slices briefly in a toaster, if desired. Store any leftovers, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.

Should babka be warmed?

Once the babka is baked, transfer the tin onto a wire rack. Brush the syrup on the hot babka. When it is cooled down slightly, remove from the tin and either serve warm or at room temperature with a hot cup of tea or coffee .

Coconut Custard Babka Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Bake

by: Miss Hangrypants

April11,2016

9 Ratings

Coconut Custard Babka Recipe on Food52 (1)

Makes 2 loaves

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

Marrying traditional Hong Kong pastry filling—buttery coconut custard—with Jewish bread. —Miss Hangrypants

Test Kitchen Notes

This recipe takes a little effort; you need to start the dough the day before you want to bake and then it needs a second rise. But the instructions were clear and straightforward and the dough mixed well and rose nicely. Once baked, I really enjoyed the crunchy exterior and soft pillowy dough inside. I wouldn’t have called the coconut filling a custard, as it bakes into the babka and wasn’t "wet"—but does add a nice sweetness and the coconut gives texture. —Jo Keohane

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

Babka dough
4 ¹/₄ cupsall-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
¹/₂ cupsugar
2 teaspoonsactive dry yeast
³/₄ teaspoonsalt
3 large eggs
¹/₂ cupwarm water
²/₃ cupunsalted butter, softened
Egg wash (1 egg + 1 teaspoon of water)

Coconut custard
4 egg yolks
6 teaspoonsbutter, softened
6 tablespoonssugar
1 ¹/₂ cupsshredded unsweetened coconut

Directions

For the dough: In a mixer bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, yeast, eggs, and water. With a dough hook, turn the mixer on low speed until it starts coming together. Pick up a little more speed and add a little water if necessary (2 to 3 tablespoons). It will look a little dry, but that's okay.
Add butter 1 tablespoon at a time with the mixer on low speed, waiting for it to be incorporated into the dough before adding the next. Mix on low-medium for at least 5 minutes before you see the dough pulling from the side and becoming smooth.
Mix and scrape down the bowl for another 5 minutes. Place rounded dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and stick it in the fridge to rise overnight.
For the filling: Cream butter and sugar and mix in egg yolks. Then stir in coconut.
Grease 2 loaf pans and line with parchment paper. Work with half of the dough from the fridge. Roll out on a floured counter into a 15-x-10-inch rectangle.
Spoon half of the filling evenly over top, leaving a clean 1-inch border around the edges. Start by rolling the shortest side of the dough into a tight log. Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthwise into two arms, leaving 1 inch of the end (where the arms meet) uncut.
Braid the two arms by carefully crisscrossing the strands over each other. Repeat until the end of the log, press together to seal, and tuck the ends under. Swiftly transfer dough to the greased loaf tin. Repeat with other half of dough.
Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hour. Heat oven to 375° F and place loaf on the middle rack of your oven. Make the egg wash and brush over the top. Bake for 30 to 40 mins. Cover the top with foil if it browns too quickly. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then loosen around the edges with a knife and carefully invert onto a cooling rack. Wait until cool before slicing into.

Tags:

Bread
Custard
Coconut
Bake
Breakfast
Brunch

Contest Entries

Your Best Jewish-Inspired Recipe

Popular on Food52

13 Reviews

Tina January 4, 2019

I found that when I added 4 1/4 cups of flour the dough was very dense. So much so that the dough climbed up the dough hook and remained there as a solid mass. It was not as tacky as some other brioche recipes I tried, but nonetheless I baked it with the coconut custard filling and found the babka very dense. I ended up tossing both loaves :( and studied other recipes. I decided to give it another go this time with just 4 cups of flour and it turned out quite nicely. I opted for a dark chocolate + tahini filling for one loaf, and a kaya (coconut pandan) filling for the other loaf.

sherri August 17, 2021

wonderful additions - dark chocolate and tahini and kaya!

Mona P. December 27, 2016

Do you think this can be frozen after baking?